Different Kinds of Cannabis Concentrates

There are many ways to consume THC, and among them are concentrates. The word ‘concentrate’, within the context of cannabis, can encompass many things. Generally it implies anything from a vape concentrate to a tincture. The reason for this is because concentrates are oils and other parts of the marijuana plant, like pollen, that have either gone through an extraction process, either with Co2, butane, or ethanol, that remove compounds from the plant. This leaves behind a highly concentrated product dense with cannabinoids.

Hash is one of the oldest forms of cannabis concentrate, and dates back to about 1123 CE. “Hashish” is derived from Arabic, and means ‘grass.” It’s made from another component of the cannabis plant, called Kief. Kief is the resin-rich pollen, or dry sift, that you see on flower buds, and can be extracted from a plant with a grinder. Hash is made from Kief, through compressing it down into a hardened substance. Hash can be consumed in a variety of ways, although the most common is through smoking via adding to tobacco, through a piece, or by adding to cannabis.

Rick Simpson oil refers to a tar-like substance that is left behind after soaking cannabis in either isopropyl alcohol or pure naptha. It’s named after a man called Rick Simpson, a Canadian engineer, who treated his own skin cancer through applying this substance to his skin after reading that it killed cancer cells in lab mice in 2003. This concentrate goes by RSO, or ‘Phoenix Tears’, which is also the title of Rick Simpson’s book on the subject.

CO2 oil is one of the more refined concentrates. This is because the process of extraction is actually one of the most effective. This is done through a process called supercritical fluid extraction. The process entails carbon dioxide and pressure to do so. C02 oil is typically used in vape pens and is often mixed with polypropylene glycol, which is a medical grade solvent.

BHO, or butane hash oil is commonly used for dabbing, which is a way of heating the plant, usually with a butane torch, to reduce it to a highly concentrated form of resin, or wax. This wax is then called either shatter, because of it’s glass-like appearance, or honeycomb, which crumbles. The wax is then vaporized THC concentrations in BHO go all the way up to 80%, so it’s *extremely* concentrated. It’s typically used for pain suppression and used by those with high tolerance.

Finally, tinctures are a form of concentrate that vary in THC percentage and either contain THC or not. They’re also herbal and can be used only with CBD. Using tinctures is simple and can vary from taking it orally to adding it to beverages, skin treatments, edibles or recipes. Tinctures are common and were once of the most frequently used forms of cannabis consumption. They’re made through infusing alcohol with cannabis extract to create a concentrate that’s fit for consumption. They’re so straight forward that you can make your own at home.